Flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires and earthquakes can strike at any time and often with little warning. In 2012, nearly 125 million people worldwide were victims of natural disasters, and in the United States, weather-related disasters caused about $157 million in damages.

The time to prepare for a disaster is not before or just after it hits – the best time to prepare is now. Making your own emergency survival kit and having a plan in place could save your life when disaster strikes. Take a look at these tips for how to make your own DIY emergency kit:

Food: For an emergency survival kit, you should have at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food items for each member of your household, including pets. Canned foods, pre-packaged and dry foods like rice and beans are the easiest to store and pack. You can easily store dry rice and beans in mason jars, empty milk jugs and empty 2-liter soda bottles. Choose foods that are high in calories and nutrition. Peanut butter, nuts, tuna, soup, crackers, protein bars and trail mix are easy to pack and offer important nutrients.

Water: For survival situations, (Read more....)

Guest Post- Danielle M.

The Colorado flooding earlier this year washed away highways, interstates and even small towns. In its wake, it left behind another lesson on disaster clean up and preparedness.

The storm

Heavy rainfall hit on September 9, and didn’t let up until Sept. 13. The storm front was trapped against the Rockies, which meant four days of heavy rain. Rainfall totals equaled 14.62 inches — about two-thirds of the annual rainfall for the area.

The aftermath

Nine people died in the flooding, and many, many more lost their homes. Eighteen towns, including Denver, were hit by flash flooding. Smaller towns high in the mountains were hit particularly hard, and assistance was a long time coming thanks to roads being completely washed out. In many places, only bedrock is left where asphalt used to be — a state that could remain until 2015.

Left without options for getting down the mountain, Colorado flood survivors can (Read more....)

Hurricanes and typhoons are very powerful storm systems that pack powerful winds and rain that have the capability of causing massive destruction to property and loss of life. For us, two hurricanes have left their mark on our collective memories, hurricanes Katrina and Sandy

Whichever side of the fence you are on about global warming, it is an undeniable fact that the more erratic and forceful weather patterns are connected to this phenomenon. The ferocity and frequency of these destructive events are increasing, and thus, more people are affected, their property and lives at the mercy of nature’s wrath.

If anything, physical evacuation from the affected area is probably the safest thing you can do, provided you have both the luxury of time ahead of the actual event, the proper logistics, and a place to stay away from the potential calamity. For those that do not have such an option, or insist on staying in their homes, it is imperative that the proper preparations (Read more....)

Water

Human beings can only survive a maximum of five days without water, and that is under ideal conditions. Floods, hurricanes and earthquakes can knock out municipal water sources for weeks at a time. Whether in the basement, attic or spare room, a few gallons of water should be stored in every home, especially when there are children. Some water may still flow through the pipes when the faucet is turned on, but it could be contaminated with bacteria. Purification tablets can be (Read more....)

Thanks to The Genius of Nicola Tesla –A Perfect Antenna for the Survivalist

I’m sure if you are familiar with the name Nicola Tesla you have read enough articles extolling the genius that he was.  He was the inventor of Alternating Current (AC), the radio (Marconi used Tesla’s plans and experiment notes), florescent lighting, radar, radio controlled boats to name a few of the inventions of this man’s genius. What we are going to talk about today is one of the master’s little noticed inventions, “The Tesla Ground Wave Antenna”, the perfect antenna for the survivalist on a tight budget (and who isn’t!?!?!).

The Tesla Ground Wave Antenna breaks nearly all the rules of antenna theory.  This antenna is very very simple using only a couple of parts, and is extraordinary as a receiving antenna.  Some have also used this as a transmitting antenna, with an antenna tuner for HAM and freebanding.

Using a 4 ft (Read more....)